Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!
favorites
favorites I Like for You to be Still
By Pablo Neruda (W.S. Merwin trans.)
I like for you to be still: it as though you were absent,
and you hear me from far away and my voice does not touch you
It seems as though your eyes had flown away
and it seems that a kiss had sealed your mouth.
As all things are filled with my soul
you emerge from the things, filled with my soul.
You are like my soul, a butterfly of dream,
and you are like the word Melancholy.
I like for you to be still, and you seem far away.
It sounds as though you were lamenting, a butterfly cooing like a dove
And you hear me from far away, and my voice does not reach you:
Let me come to be still in your silence.
And let me talk to you with your silence
that is bright as a lamp, simple as a ring.
Your are like the night, with its stillness and constellations.
Your silence is that of a star, as remote and candid.
I like for you to be still: it is as though you were absent,
distant and full of sorrow as though you had died.
One word then, one smile, is enough.
And I am happy, happy that it’s not true.
A Ritual to Read to Each Other
By William Stafford
If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.
For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dyke.
And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider--
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give--yes or no, or maybe--
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
That's a start.
A few things to add: art doesn't have to have a point, but that doesn't mean it's impractical or irrelevant to everyday life. There's no such thing as bad art, but the quality varies widely from one time period and set of personal ideals to another. When discussing aspects of art that you aren't familiar with, expect to do a lot of listening and learning. It's not a competition to see who knows more, and if you feel stupid (as I do with painting, video, sculpture, music, the list goes on) because the other person has expertise, seize the opportunity to pick their brain and become better informed. Most of all, encourage creativity and expect to see every rule broken.
I also like this Bierstadt (which sort of looks like a Bob Ross painting, and it's incredible for mid-19th century art):
and my personal fave, Wayne Thiebaud:
The art history major in me is really, really digging this. Yay friends!
I really hope these images aren't broken..
OBEY COPENHAGEN PT. 1 from OBEY CLOTHING on Vimeo.
OBEY COPENHAGEN PT. 2 from OBEY CLOTHING on Vimeo.
OBEY COPENHAGEN PT. 3 from OBEY CLOTHING on Vimeo.
OBEY COPENHAGEN PT. 4 from OBEY CLOTHING on Vimeo.
.
. 
